The military is the structured force, armed with weapons and intended for warfare. They are authorized and maintained by a sovereign state and they are distinguished from the common man by their military uniform. They are known for maintaining high discipline levels and their passion for safeguarding their country and countrymen. There are several military branches. Short descriptions are given below about the different branches:
- Army: Army is the land-based military branch. They are the land force who fights primarily on the land. Their primary mission is to guarantee national security by defending the nation from external threats and rivalry. The army people are deputed especially on the borders of the country so that they can keep a keen vision over the terrorization that may invade through the borders. Some of the weapons that they use are; explosives, rockets, mortars, guided missiles, pistol, guns, etc.
- Air force:Air force is that branch of military who secures the country’s airspace. Their main task is to conduct aerial warfare. They provide aerial support to the army during the armed conflict by carrying out deliberate and tactical bombing missions and gaining control over the air. In some countries, they are termed as “aerospace force”. Their weapons include fighter planes, bombers, helicopters, and transport planes.
- Navy:The sea military force is called the Navy. They are the armed forces who are designated for naval warfare. When a war breaks out, their job is to protect the country of threats that may attack through ocean/ water. They also keep patrolling in the oceans, to safeguard the country’s maritime borders. They use ships, submarines and other naval aircraft.
The life of military personnel is different from other citizens. Always being surrounded by weapons and uniforms; following instructions and tied to discipline is a tough job. And this is what makes them unique and special. They are the people who should be highly honored for their immense sacrifice towards the country and the countrymen.
The training of Military: Training is a vital segment of military people. Military training is imparted to ascertain and improve the capabilities of military personnel. It intends to make them more perfect in their respective roles. Through the pieces of training, the military personnel gain confidence and hence their work efficiency increases and they perform as per expected or sometimes beyond expectations. Some of the training are briefly mentioned below:
- Basic Combat Training:The Basic Combat Training is also known as the primary introduction to military training. In this training, the personnel learns about traditions and tactics involved in military. They learn about the methodology which they would be following for the rest of their life while performing their stipulated duties. In this training, they are also introduced to strict discipline (which includes proper dressing, grooming, and marching) that is maintained in military. They also learn how to work as a team. The basic training gives them a complete overview of the roles they are expected to play.
- Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) training:This training focuses on developing the skills needed to perform in the member’s assigned military occupational specialty (MOS). The training can last from 3 months to a year, depending on the specialty of the personnel. When the personnel graduate, he is assigned a permanent duty at the unit.
- Leadership training:This training usually takes place in an academy type environment. The students live and work together for a long time. Possessing leadership quality is very much essential for military personnel. On occasions, they would have to lead a troop of other military men and direct them on how to execute the given work. Hence it would important to know the dynamics of leadership.
A military person becomes proficient in the work only when they obtain proper knowledge. And knowledge comes through training. The military people spend a lot of time training and upgrading them before they are certified to be a soldier. And during this training period, they have to stay away from their family for a quite long period of time. This is an emotional time for them as they are compelled to stay away from their family members and rarely are they allowed meeting them. The following scenarios can explain their loneliness:
- Anxiety about their family:The military men spend a lot of their life without their family. The nature of their work demands this. Hence, their continuous anxiety going on in their mind always. It gets worse if any of their family members are unwell. It is never easy for them to concentrate on this anxiousness about their family. Due to work pressure, it is not always possible to make a call and talk to them. Therefore, most of the time they are compelled to stay with the anxiety. The work and the concern for their family bring them to a stage of uneasiness. As time passes by, they learn how to deal with such situations and keep their mind calm.
- No one to talk toThe military people when deployed away from home feels lonely more because they find no one to talk to. Human nature is such that there are innumerable thoughts going on in the mind, and we seek someone to share it. Here comes the role of family, friends, peer group or children. Military people do not find anyone to whom they can speak their mind.
Though they have colleagues working with them, everyone is so engrossed with their own tensions and busy with work, that they hardly find time to catch with each other or grow a bond with each other. We ease our mind by venting out our thoughts, this does not happen with the people in the military. They tend to keep their thoughts and feelings to themselves leading to depression. Most of the soldiers who stay away from home at some point of the time undergo depression. But, alas, there are no better ways to make the situation better.
- Feel lost:When we to some unknown place for maybe work and our family is left behind, we start feeling so lost even if it is for a few days. Imagine how the soldiers must feel when they leave their family and go to new places for such a long period of time. After staying for years amongst the family members it gets very much difficult for them to go and stay in an unknown place surrounded by unknown people. All of sudden its acts as a shock for them and they start feeling lost in the unfamiliar environment.
Over a period of time, when they start staying and doing their everyday chores together, so they come to know each other little bit and maybe start settling down. However, they do not receive the warmth and the affection that they used to get from their family and keep longing for it. That’s how, every now and then, they tend to feel lost and left out. The periodical visit to their home is what makes them feel good. But again that does not happen daily!
- Lack of physical touch:Physical touch reduces stress and social anxiety. Physical touch such as hugs, pats, holding hands, cuddling or getting intimate helps to increase the levels of dopamine and serotonin hormones which regulates your mood and relieves stress. When a child doesn’t feel good or gets hurt, their mom holds their hands and hugs them.
In this way, they try to make the child feel better and inspire positive thinking in them. A soldier witnesses many tragic situations, work under pressure and deal with mental stress on an everyday basis and they yearn for someone who can help them relax with the physical touch. They long for a mother’s pat, a children’s hug, and wife’s cuddle. However, they find no one.
- Miss their children:Children are the greatest gift of God. Every individual dream of growing old with their and children and see them grow up every day. Everyone wants to witness their children’s growth period. They want to see them growing step by step and learning new things. However, a soldier fails to be with their children every day. They fail to capture the moments of their children, fail to surprise them with a new gift and fail to cuddle them or play with them. And this is a very depressing fact of their life. They so want to be with them and spend time with them, but their job doesn’t allow them to. They can only connect to their children virtually.
- Not able to celebrate festivals:Festivals are an important part of our culture. This is the time when we meet our near and dear ones and celebrate. The military people are refrained from doing so. Their job is such that they are not able to go home even during festivals and are left alone at their workplace.
From the above descriptions, we can only imagine the lonely life of military personnel. It is they who live that life only to safeguard their countrymen. Fellow countrymen should not forget their sacrifices and show them their due respect.